A Toronto police officer who was fired following the Twitter allegations has dismissed an appeal

A panel of judges has rejected the appeal of a former Toronto police officer who was terminated after making allegations of workplace harassment and abuse on social media.

In a decision issued in early April, a three-judge panel upheld a preliminary ruling that found former Toronto Police Service (TPS) constable Firuzeh Zarabi-Majd guilty of professional misconduct and insubordination and fired him. .

Zarabi-Maj's first conviction in March 2023 related to more than 25,000 of her Twitter posts titled “Dirty Shades of Blue”. Many of those tweets allege discrimination and abuse on the job, first filed in 2018 by Zarabi-Majd as part of a human rights complaint against the Toronto Police Services Board.

In the March 2023 disciplinary hearing, Robin D. McEaly-Downer called Zarabi-Majd's Twitter posts “false” and “defamatory” and called them an “18-month smear campaign” against the service and the board. McElary-Downer found the tweets aimed to “not only damage but destroy” the reputation of both the service and the board.

Zarabi-Majd did not appear in court, indicating through her attorney that she was unable to attend due to post-traumatic stress disorder.

At an appeal hearing in January, Zarabi-Majd argued that the tribunal's decision would have a “chilling effect” on those accused of police misconduct. In it, the commission sent a strong message that “police performance and criticism of those in power have no place,” he wrote.

The former officer said in the appeal that he was the victim of police misconduct and that his diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder colored his behavior.

After reviewing the submissions, the commission upheld McElary-Downer's decision, saying it was “necessary to protect public confidence in the police service.” Zarabi-Majd said the tweet was an attempt to raise awareness of “perceived injustices.” “Any suspect in the workplace was not excused from misconduct.”

The panel also found that the tribunal's initial findings had no effect on reporting future prosecutions through appropriate channels.

“Under the circumstances of this case, we are satisfied that the facts of the illegality were necessary to protect the public's trust in the police service. We are also satisfied that the sentence chosen by the hearing officer was appropriate to the circumstances,” the panel wrote.

CTV News Toronto has reached out to Zarabi-Maj's attorneys for further comment.